-Author's note: Thanks to those who've read so far! The dhmis fandom is so much fun to be a part of, I'm excited to keep writing! I've got a great headstart on the next chapter, but this seemed like a good stopping point. Look forward to it coming soon!-

The familiar city breeze blew through the alleyway greeting Tony with a chill. He gazed up at the colorful sign he'd seen for the first time less than a day prior, and smiled. A small black briefcase in his gloved hand, he straightened his jacket and proceeded into the building to begin his first day on the job.

"Ah, hello." A different boy than before sat at the desk this time, greeting Tony upon arrival. He wore an all brown suit, the only color being the red tissue he wore in his breast pocket sticking out. In contrast, he had an unkempt head of green hair which only style was where he had taken a comb to the front and swept it up and over to the side, presumably to keep it out of his eyes. Compared to the mohawk and overalls clad Manny that Tony had met previously, this boy seemed much better kept and only a few years older. "You must be Tony." His voice was a higher pitch than his looks would lead to believe, which made him seem significantly younger than Tony knew he must be.

Tony, thinking twice about Manny's reluctance to shake hands, deemed a polite bow sufficient and introduced himself. "That is correct. I am Tony, Paige's new assistant. It's a pleasure Mr…"

"Please, call me Robin." The boy's hands quickly gathered up papers which were scattered across the desk, attempting to get them in order. "Paige has asked me to catch you up on where we are now, what we do, and what your tasks are. Please, take a seat." He motioned to a wooden chair near the front desk, which Tony cautiously pulled up and took a seat. Even sitting down, Tony towered over the boy across from him.

Tony folded his hands in his lap, and took a peek at the papers in front of him. All of them covered in differently colored scribbles. Times, names, receipts were all strewn together in a downright mess. He supposed this was why he was employed, and was anxious to begin cleaning up the mess which has been built upon for who knows how long.

Robin cleared his throat, and looked to Tony. "To start, I guess you already understand what kind of place this is." Upon seeing Tony's nod of approval he continued. "We tend to clients of both preferences. Those who like to feel pain, and those who enjoy inflicting it. In order to keep things balanced, we keep profiles of all who enter here. Each person is given a personal interview to obtain their likes and dislikes, so we can match our clients accordingly. Because we match two clients rather than employ those which charge for their services, we can maximize our profits while having a vast array of potential matches determined by different fetishes and skill levels of our customers."

The math and inner workings of places like this had never occurred to Tony. It was interesting to him to think of just how many formalities were put into place for a venue which was far from formal. Tony smiled. "You seem like you are a very smart fellow. I am led to assume you are in charge of the finances here?"

Robin gave an excited smile. "Yes! I do enjoy math very much. I am good at keeping the numbers here, and taking care of the books. Though the finances here have been a bit lean lately, which is where you come in."

Furrowing his brow, Tony was quick to inquire. "What is it that I can help with?"

In the most timely way, the two heard a loud squeal come from the nearby hall. A few footsteps later a familiar body stood in front of them, a wide black and white smile adorning her face. "Hi Tonyyyy!" She giggled and danced around, sitting back against the desk.

Tony took a deep breath, and stood up to face his employer. The fact that her mood could vary from black and deadly to…this…was astounding. "Good day Ms. Paige. You certainly seem cheerful this afternoon."

Paige turned her head to Robin, who looked obviously uncomfortable at having Paige so close to him. "Have you told him yet?" The boy shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly interrupted by Paige. "That's just as well then," Paige shoved herself off of the desk and outstretched her arm, pointing a finger at Tony. "Your first task as my assistant will be helping to organize a dance!" The room stayed awkwardly silent, while Tony mulled over those words.

"A…dance?" Tony could not comprehend what a dance could possibly have to do with a place as fetish-specific as this.

Seeing Tony's confusion, Robin spoke up. "You see, we needed a way to both bring in new clients, and make some profit. And the best way to do that, was Paige's idea: a dance. With a twist of course. "

Paige giggled. "We're doing a spin on the Hindu holiday, Holi." Paige paused to see if Tony had recognized it… Clearly not. She sighed, and continued. "Of course you've never heard of the most COLORFUL holiday ever celebrated…" Her disappointment quickly turned to excitement at the thought of it, and both her tone and mood brightened as she spoke. "It is a tradition that can be thought of as a battle of color! People fill balloons with colored water and tactfully bombard each other, throw colored powders at one another, smearing it in each other's faces… it's fantastic! It's by far the most creative holiday in the history of the world!" Paige brought her hands together in a prayer like stance, eyes sparkling as she imagined it. "It'll be wonderful…" Neither of them wanting to interrupt her fantasy, the two stayed quiet until she snapped out of it. "A-Anyways. Robin can explain the logistics of the rest."

Robin cleared his throat, and delved into further detail. "It will be a dance hosted for all of our clients, as well as open to the public. Of course tickets alone will bring in revenue, and it should bring in a fair amount of new clients. Manny will be in charge of the recruitment tomorrow, so you won't need to worry too much about it. Because of the messy nature of Holi, we will be renting out an auditorium a few blocks down. We already have a staff member here who will be taking care of the music, so all that's left is the advertising, and making sure everything runs smoothly on the day of the event."

The cogs in Tony's mind began turning. Indeed this would be a wonderful opportunity to ensnare new members, and of course the money will be beneficial. To get the word out, they could use radio, television, newspaper, and of course the online forums that tended to hold many people with particular "interests". It was a good plan, he thought as he scratched the colored whiskers on his chin. "Ms. Paige, I do believe you've come up with a wonderful idea. Beneficial to the company, and still holding that creative *spark* which seems to be your calling card, so to speak."

Paige bounced up and down. "Seeeeee? I knew you'd think so. I just can't wait for this weekend! And you've got work to do! You need to get the word out, book the auditorium, and see that everyone has everything ready on time. Any costs or financial questions you have, ask Robin here. Any questions about the clientele and their preferences, as Manny. If anyone gives you any t-r-o-u-b-l-e… tell Harry! He's good at keeping people in line! When he's not being a stuck up jackass." Paige spat the last word and shot a glare at Robin, serving only to force his eyes downward at the desk.

Tony nodded and folded his arms. "This I can take care of. And while I have not yet met this "Harry" fellow, I look forward to working with him. Are there any other tasks you wish to divert to me before I begin?"

Paige thought a moment. "I believe everything will be taken care of. I trust you to oversee the smoothness of this operation Tony… OR ELSE." Her dark tone was quickly replaced with giggles as she bounced towards him. "Here's a list of everyone's contact information. I'm going to be busy overseeing the day to day here at the club while you all prepare for this weekend, so don't bother me."

Smirking, Tony flipped open his briefcase and stored the new information. He also took out a circular package wrapped in confetti colored paper, and held it out in front of him. "I almost forgot. This is for you, Ms. Paige. But don't open it until I'm gone, alright?"

Paige gladly accepted the package, and smiled excitedly. "Thank you Tony! Good luck getting ready for this weekend!" Without another word she bounded towards her office, no doubt to rip the package open as soon as the door was closed. 'Just like a child.' Tony thought, amused. The last thing he heard before exiting the room was a loud angry scream, and a smash. It was certainly time to be on his way, as his employer did not seem to appreciate the beautiful hanging clock he had gotten for her. Oh how he was starting to enjoy her anger; it certainly was a nice change of pace.